Houston County, TX tax sales
How tax lien certificate and tax deed sales work in Houston County, seat of Crockett: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
Verified Jul 27, 2026 against official county and state sources.
New here? Read how Texas tax sales work, the difference between a lien and a deed, and redemption periods.
How Houston County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
Details are being verified for this county.
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Houston County Tax Assessor-Collector's Office administers bidder pre-registration and the no-delinquent-taxes certification for the sale; the sale itself is conducted by the county sheriff or a constable.
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Houston County publishes no fixed sale calendar on its own tax office site. The county's delinquent-tax law firm states the governing schedule: "Tax sales are conducted by the sheriff or a constable of the county where the property is located. The Texas Rules of Civil Procedure require sales be held on the first Tuesday of the month, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m." Houston County holds a sale only when properties have been posted, so check the linked property list and call the tax office to confirm the next date.
Registration and deposit
Pre-registration is mandatory: "All parties interested in bidding at a Houston County Tax Sale must be pre-registered." Complete the county's Tax Sale Bidder Registration form, headed "Under Texas Tax Code 34.011," which collects name, street address, phone, email, driver's license number, the name as it will appear on the deed, agent authorization documents if bidding for another person or entity, and a list of all Houston County property the purchaser already owns. The bidder signs the certification: "I certify that the prospective owner owes no delinquent property taxes to any taxing units within Houston County," and the form warns that furnishing false information is a criminal offense. Return the form by mail to P.O. Box 941, Crockett, TX 75835, by fax to 936-544-2711, or by email to [email protected]. No registration fee and no registration deadline are stated on the form, so confirm the cutoff with the tax office.
Texas sells a redeemable tax deed, so a Houston County purchase is a sheriff's tax foreclosure deed under Tax Code Chapter 34 subject to the owner's redemption right, not a lien certificate. No online auction platform appears on any official Houston County page, and the bidder registration form is returned by mail, fax, or email rather than through a bidding portal, which points to a live in-person sale rather than an online one; the county does not state the sale location on its site, so confirm date, time, and place with the tax office before traveling. The tax office links its "List of Tax Sale Properties" to Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins & Mott, the county's delinquent-tax law firm. At the time of this check that firm's list carried August 2026 and October 2026 sales for roughly 30 other Texas counties and showed no Houston County listing, meaning no Houston County sale was posted; the firm also warns "This list changes frequently, and properties may be pulled from the tax sale at any time without advance notice to any potential bidders."
Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases
Texas has no over-the-counter certificate list. Parcels that draw no sufficient bid are struck off to the taxing unit that requested the order of sale, and that unit may resell them at any time by public or private sale. A public resale requested through the sheriff or constable may be sold for any amount. A private sale generally may not go below the lesser of the market value stated in the judgment or the total judgments against the property, unless every taxing unit entitled to proceeds consents. Ask the county or its delinquent-tax law firm for the current struck-off inventory.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work.
County offices
Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)
Houston County Tax Assessor-Collector's Office
(936) 544-3255 ext. 263 and 278 (tax department); fax (936) 544-2711
401 East Goliad Avenue, Suite 101, Crockett, TX 75835 (mailing address: P.O. Box 941, Crockett, TX 75835)
Official websiteNotes for Houston County
- Delinquency and fee schedule stated by the county: "If not paid by February 1st of the following year, penalty is added and accrues each month. On July 1st, a 20% attorney's fee is added." The tax office property page adds that taxes still delinquent on July 1 "may incur an additional penalty to defray costs of collection."
- Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins & Mott is the delinquent-tax law firm Houston County directs bidders to for the sale list. Its FAQ also confirms the deed requirement statewide: a bidder must obtain "a written statement from the county tax assessor-collector stating that the bidder has no delinquent taxes due," and notes "Sales are for cash, and most counties will accept cash or cashier's checks."
- The same FAQ states redemption runs "two years for homestead property, agriculture use property and mineral interests and 180 days on all other types of property," consistent with Tax Code 34.21.
- Houston County Sheriff's Office: 700A South 4th Street, Crockett, TX 75835, phone 936-544-2862, fax 936-544-8061, email [email protected]. Its county web page carries no tax sale notices or sale lists.
- The county's Public Notices calendar page is effectively unused (its only entry is a 2022 "Light box demo" test item), so it is not a reliable place to look for sale notices.
- Contact details differ slightly between sites: the main county site lists the Tax Assessor-Collector at 401 East Goliad, Crockett, TX 75835, phone 936-544-3255 ext. 258, hours 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; the tax office site lists Suite 101, tax department extensions 263 and 278, and hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Use the tax office site for sale matters.
- Officeholder discrepancy to verify before publishing a name: the May 2025 bidder registration form is issued over "James Angerstein, Tax Assessor-Collector" while both the county site and the tax office contact page list Brittani Womack. No officeholder name is asserted in the sale record.
- Property search and payment portal: https://esearch.houstoncountytaxoffice.com/ (linked from the tax office site; not independently fetched).
- The tax office site has no dedicated tax sale landing page. Its full page sitemap contains only the pre-registration notice post plus the registration form PDF and the outbound list link, so those three are the county's complete official sale surface.
Texas statewide rules
- Redemption
- The redemption clock runs from the date the purchaser's deed is filed for record, not from the sale date. Property that was the owner's residence homestead or was land designated for agricultural use when the suit or the warrant application was filed, and any mineral interest, may be redeemed on or before the second anniversary of that filing. Every other property may be redeemed only through the 180th day after the deed is filed. When a parcel is struck off to a taxing unit instead, the period runs from the date the taxing unit's deed is filed for record. The former owner has no right to use, possess, or collect rent from the property while the redemption right runs, and the right of redemption cannot be sold or transferred: any instrument purporting to transfer it is void.
- Deed deposit
- The Tax Code sets no statewide deposit and no buyer premium. Section 34.01 directs the officer to conduct the sale the way similar property is sold under execution, so payment terms are set locally by the officer who runs the sale. Most Texas counties collect the full bid in cash or by cashier's check on the day of the sale. Confirm the terms with the county before you bid.
- Homestead deeds
- Texas sets no separate opening bid for a homestead. What changes on a homestead parcel is the exit: a residence homestead, land designated for agricultural use when the suit or warrant application was filed, and a mineral interest all carry a two-year redemption right instead of 180 days, and the premium the owner pays can reach 50 percent in the second year. Price a homestead parcel for that longer clock.
- Surplus proceeds
- The officer pays any excess proceeds to the clerk of the court that issued the order of sale. The clerk holds the excess for two years after the sale and notifies the former owner when the amount exceeds $25. A claim must be filed before the second anniversary of the sale. The court pays established claims in statutory priority: a purchaser at a sale later adjudged void, taxing units for post-judgment or omitted taxes, other lienholders, taxing units for unsatisfied judgment amounts, and then the former owner. Anything unclaimed is distributed to the taxing units.
A tax deed does not convey marketable title. Most buyers file a quiet title action before they can resell or insure the property. See the due diligence guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does Houston County, Texas sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Houston County follows Texas's redeemable deed state system.
How often does Houston County hold tax deed sales?
- annual. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.
Tax Sale Atlas publishes educational information about public tax sale processes. This is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Rules, dates, and fees change; confirm with the county office before you bid.
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